1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for recording data with a tape cassette including a memory.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, video cassette recorders and audio cassette recorders for recording a tape cassette have become popular in many homes. However, they have problems on operation, search and the like when compared with apparatuses using a disk medium. Then, it is demanded for example to facilitate management and search on recorded programs.
A bar code is already available to manage data recorded on a cassette tape for a video cassette recorder. That is, a bar code is attached to a video tape in order to discriminate a tape cassette in order to represent recorded programs. The bar code is read by a sensor installed in a video cassette recorder and read data are stored in a memory also installed in the recorder. Then, recorded programs in a tape cassette can be managed by referring the data in the memory. However, this management system has a problem in that there is no compatibility between video cassette recorders.
Belgian patent Nos. 191395 and 191469 filed on Oct. 27, 1978 and Oct. 31, 1978 disclose a cassette tape recorder for a tape cassette having a memory device therein. When such a tape cassette is inserted in a cassette tape recorder, the memory device is connected to a controller of the recorder. The recorder has a detector which can detect a tape position and stores an instantaneous tape position in the memory device when a cassette tape stops. The memory device comprises memory element blocks each for storing a plurality of tape positions. Then, the recorder can manage tape position data stored in the memory device. Therefore, the cassette tape can be used in any memory device. Therefore, the cassette tape can be used in any cassette tape recorder which has a device to use such a cassette tape.
Such a tape cassette may be set in a tape recorder which cannot use the memory device. In such a case, the Belgian patents disclose that the cassette tape itself erases all data stored in the memory device and displays a warning message. However, it is desirable that recording and reproduction are possible by protecting data stored in a memory device in such a tape cassette as much as possible even when it is used to be recorded by a tape recorder which cannot use such a memory device for using the data stored therein.